Chef Simone Lapadula

Gourmet Popcorn Expert, Executive Chef

Born in Italy in 1986, Simone Lapadula has become the foremost Italian gourmet popcorn chef. His unique specialisation in gourmet popcorn has made him famous in Europe where he showcased his talent in Italian and Spanish television, as well as in multiple show cooking events in various countries.

Simone’s first love as for most Italians- soccer and food. But his passion for food eventually took over. While working as an apprentice in a restaurant, he learned all the tricks about chocolate and cheese before stumbling in 2014 on the relatively unknown world of gourmet popcorn. At that point, his professional and personal life took an unexpected direction.

Following a brief sojourn in the United States with a renowned gourmet popcorn chef, Simone returned to Italy as a founding shareholder of the newly opened FOL Gourmet Popcorn. While in the US, Simone not only learnt the craft, but also managed to reinvent what he was learning through European and Italian lenses. He therefore combined American savoir-faire with the Italian tradition, blending the very best of what Turin could offer –chocolate, coffee, cheese- and the American tradition for a European taste, in what would become the basis for FOL Gourmet Popcorn.

FOL Popcorn has been pioneering a re-invention of popcorn through new processes that allow a genuine product preparation and which deserves proper explanation. Therefore, Simone presented the gourmet popcorn recipes in a show, organised during the famous Book Fair of Turin in May 2016 and replicated in Madrid “El Corte Ingles” in February 2017.

The reinvention of popcorn created curiosity in the market and in the media: Simone has become a quarterly special guest in the Italian show “Detto Fatto” hosted by Caterina Balivo, showcasing special recipes and dispensing gourmet popcorn culinary tips. Thanks to the high viewership, Simone has become a culinary star, attracting millions to the world of gourmet popcorn.